Justice
T.U.Mehta

Vajji's
Democracy

Vedic, Jaina and Buddhist texts reveal that there were
mainly sixteen political entities called ï¿½Mahajanapadas' in India. Most of
these sixteen entities are shown in the political map given in (Appendix
A). As already noted above, these entities were either monarchical or
non-monarchical. The latter had evolved a system of representation by
election but the lay people were not associated with that process.
Election was mostly of the representatives of aristocratic Ksatriya clans.
However, more systematic and more or less modern methods were adopted by
Vajjis, who were composed by powerful Licchavis, Videhas and Mallas. Their
territory extended from South of Nepal to the North of Ganges. They had
adopted a voting system, an organised Federal council, took all decisions
by debates, set up a strong administrative system, evolved a judicial
administration, safe-guarding efficiently liberty of citizens and proved a
great butwark against the neighbouring powerful monarchies of Magadha and
Kosala. King Cetaka, the head of Lichhavi republic, was a powerful and
influential head of the Vajji confederation. Mahavira's mother Trisala was
his sister. His daughter Cellana was the wife of Magadha King Bimbisara
known in Jaina literature as ï¿½Srenika'. Vaisali was the capital of Vajji
Confederation. Mahavira's blood relationship with the Licchavis was of
great help to him in influencing other powerful rulers of neighbouring
states of Magadha, Kosala and Anga. His upbringing in the greatly
democratic atmosphere of the Vajji's must have been helpful in inculcating
in him the idea of equality and fraternity, which made him popular with
the masses. Mahavira's birth place was ï¿½Kundagrama' a suburb of Vaisali,
the Vajji capital.